Flavor inhaler

ABSTRACT

A technique which, while avoiding excessive conduction of heat to the flavor source, reduces variance of heat conduction, and which makes it possible to reduce the weight and the cost of the flavor inhaler is disclosed. A flavor inhaler which, provided with a cylindrical holding member extending along a prescribed direction from a lighting end to a non-lighting end, includes a combustion-type heat source disposed at the lighting end, a flavor source which, in the prescribed direction, is arranged towards the non-lighting end with respect to the combustion-type heat source, and a cup-shape cup member which holds the flavor source and has a side wall and a bottom plate. The cup member is arranged with the bottom plate thereof disposed towards the non-lighting end with respect to the combustion-type heat source, and is inserted into the holding member oriented so as to open towards the lighting end or oriented so as to open towards the non-lighting end, and at least the side wall and the bottom plate configuring the cup member are configured from a material containing pulp, a binder and a metal soap.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/172,459, filed on Oct. 26, 2018, which is a Continuation of PCTInternational Application No. PCT/JP2017/016308, filed on Apr. 25, 2017,which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(a) to Patent Application No.PCT/JP2016/063203, filed in Japan on Apr. 27, 2016, all of which arehereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a flavor inhaler which extends in aprescribed direction from an ignition end to a non-ignition end, andparticularly to a flavor inhaler having a cup member for holding aflavor source.

A flavor inhaler used to taste flavor without burning a flavor sourcesuch as tobacco has been proposed as a cigarette substitute. Forexample, a flavor inhaler generally includes a combustion type heatsource which extends in the direction from an ignition end to anon-ignition end (hereinafter as the “lengthwise direction”), a flavorsource made of a tobacco material, etc., and a holding member whichholds the combustion type heat source and the flavor source.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,831 discloses a technique for holding a combustiontype heat source and a flavor source by a container made of a heatconduction material. The container has a cup shape having a bottom plateprovided with a hole through which aerosol generated by the flavorsource is guided to the non-ignition end side.

WO 2015/174442 discloses a cup member made of a heat conduction materialas a holding member for holding a flavor source provided in a flavorinhaler. According to the disclosure, the cup member has a claw parthaving at least an engagement part which engages an end face of acombustion type heat source on the non-ignition end side so that theinsertion length of the combustion heat source can be adjusted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The members for holding a combustion type heat source and a flavorsource disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,831 and WO 2015/174442 are bothmade of a heat conduction material such as a metal. Therefore, there isstill a room for improvement on the flavor inhaler having such aconventional cup member in terms of weight reduction and cost reduction.

With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the present invention toprovide a technique for reducing the weight and cost of a flavor inhalerwhile maintaining the performance of the conventional cup member.

According to the present invention, in order to solve the problem, a cupmember for use in a flavor inhaler is made of a material including pulp,a binder, and metal soap.

More specifically, a flavor inhaler according to the present inventionprovided with a tubular holding member which extends from an ignitionend to a non-ignition end includes: a combustion type heat sourceprovided at the ignition end; a flavor source provided on thenon-ignition end side with respect to the combustion type heat source inthe prescribed direction; a cup member for holding the flavor source,the cup member being formed in a cup shape and having a side wall and abottom plate; and a heat conduction member provided between the cupmember and the holding member to cover the combustion type heat sourceand at least a part of a side surface of the cup member, the cup memberis inserted in the holding member in such a direction that the bottomplate of the cup member is provided so as to be closer to thenon-ignition end than the combustion type heat source is and the cupmember is open to the ignition end side or the non-ignition end side,and the cup member is made of a material including pulp, a binder, andmetal soap.

According to the present invention, using a cup member for storing aflavor source made of a material including pulp, a binder, and metalsoap, the flavor inhaler can have a reduced weight or can be producedless costly.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to theattached drawings).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a view of a flavor inhaler according to a first embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 1B is a view of an exemplary inhaler according to the firstembodiment in which the positional relation between a holding member 1and a filter 5 is different from that in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 is a view of a cup member according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view of a flavor inhaler according to a second embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 4 is a view of a flavor inhaler according to a third embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 5 is a view of a cup member according to the third embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Here, flavor inhalers according to embodiments of the present inventionwill be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Thesizes, materials, shapes, their relative positional arrangements, etc.in the description of the embodiments are not intended to limit thetechnical scope of the invention unless otherwise specified.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1A is a view of a flavor inhaler 100 according to a firstembodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view of a cup member500 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the flavor inhaler 100 includes a holding member 1,the cup member 500, a combustion type heat source 2, a flavor source 3,a heat conduction member 4, and a filter 5. FIG. 1A shows the heatconduction member 4 but the flavor inhaler 100 may not have to includethe member. According to the first embodiment, the flavor inhaler 100does not require combustion of a flavor source.

The holding member 1 has a tubular shape which extends in a prescribeddirection from an ignition end to a non-ignition end. For example, theholding member 1 has a cylindrical shape or a rectangular tube shape.

The holding member 1 may be a paper tube formed by rolling a rectangularpaper sheet into a cylindrical shape and putting the edges of the papersheet together. The kind of paper for the holding member 1 is notparticularly limited but the paper is preferably paperboard. Morespecifically, it is preferable that the paper sheet has a basis weightfrom 100 g/m² to 300 g/m² and a thickness from 150 μm to 500 μm. Aspaper sheets for the holding member 1, two sheets of paper having abasis weight from 50 g/m² to 100 g/m² and a thickness from 90 μm to 110μm, preferably 100 μm may be prepared and laminated on each other.

The heat conduction member 4 may cover at least a part of a side surfaceof the cup member 500 and may be provided between the holding member 1and the cup member. With the presence of the heat conduction member 4,the holding member 1 and the cup member 500 can be prevented from beingthermally decomposed. The heat conduction member 4 may extend further tothe non-ignition end side than to an end face (a bottom plate 52 whichwill be described) on the non-ignition end side of the cup member 500.In this way, heat can be dissipated more efficiently from the cup member500. Meanwhile, the end of the heat conduction member 4 on thenon-ignition end side is preferably positioned so as to be closer to theignition end than the filter 5 is.

The heat conduction member 4 may have a thickness from 10 μm to 50 μm,preferably 15 μm to 30 μm. When the heat conduction member 4 has athickness in the preferable range, the amount of flavor generated fromthe flavor source 3 per puffing may be smoothed.

The heat conduction member 4 is preferably made of a metal materialhaving a high heat conduction characteristic such as aluminum.

According to the first embodiment, the holding member 1 and the heatconduction member 4 may be layered on each other. More specifically, analuminum-laminated paper sheet partly provided with aluminum as the heatconduction member 4 thereon may be curved into a cylindrical shape andformed on a cardboard sheet as the holding member 1. Thealuminum-laminated paper sheet is preferably curved into a cylindricalshape so that the aluminum layered surface forms the inner wall. In FIG.1A, a part of the combustion type heat source 2 and the entire sidesurface of the cup member 500 are covered with the heat conductionmember 4, while the heat conduction member 4 is not essential, or theentire side surface of the cup member 500 does not have to be coveredwith the heat conduction member 4.

According to the first embodiment, when the heat conduction member 4 isprovided, an adhesive (not shown) may be interposed at least partlybetween the cup member 500 and the heat conduction member 4. Theadhesive is not particularly limited, and for example an adhesivepolymer may preferably be used. As the polymer, a vinyl polymer maypreferably be used, and vinyl acetate may optimally be used as a monomerfor obtaining the vinyl polymer. When vinyl acetate is used as themonomer, the cup member 500 and the heat conduction member 4 may befixed with a reduced effect on the smoking flavor.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cup member 500 has a side wall 51, a bottomplate 52, a flange 53, and ribs 54. The cup member 500 according to thefirst embodiment has a cup shape formed by the side wall 51 and thebottom plate 52 and holds the combustion type heat source 2 and theflavor source 3. According to the first embodiment, the cup member 500is inserted in the holding member 1 in such a direction that the bottomplate 52 of the cup member 500 is provided on the non-ignition end sideand the cup member 500 is open to the ignition end side.

According to the first embodiment, as for the size of the cup member500, the bottom plate 52 has a diameter from 3 mm to 10 mm, preferablyfrom 4 mm to 8 mm and a length in the direction from the ignition end tothe non-ignition end (the height of the cup member 500) from 5 mm to 20mm, preferably from 7 mm to 12 mm.

The side wall 51 has a tubular shape, and the bottom plate 52 blocks oneof the pair of openings defined by the side wall 51. Note that while theend of the side wall 51 on the non-ignition side is joined to the edgeof the bottom plate 52 as shown in FIG. 2, the end may extend to thenon-ignition end side beyond the edge of the bottom plate 52.

The bottom plate 52 may be provided with ventilation holes 52 a. Theventilation holes 52 a are used to guide aerosol generated from a flavorsource to the non-ignition end side. The ventilation hole 52 apreferably has a diameter smaller than the particle size of a flavorsource held by the cup member, preferably about in the range from 0.4 mmto 0.8 mm.

In FIG. 2 showing the first embodiment, 10 ventilation holes 52 a areprovided. The number and positions of the ventilation holes 52 a may beadjusted, as appropriate, as will be described.

The side wall 51 may have a thickness about in the range from 0.1 mm to0.3 mm. The thickness of the bottom plate 52 is preferably greater thanthat of the side wall 51 and for example may be in the range from 0.3 mmto 1.0 mm, more preferably from 0.4 mm to 1.0 mm.

The thickness difference between the bottom plate 52 and the side wall51 may be at least 0.1 mm, preferably at least 0.2 mm. Furthermore, thethickness ratio of the bottom plate 52 to the side wall 51 may be atleast 1.2, preferably at least 1.5.

The thickness range of the bottom plate 52 contributes to improvement inthe heat resistance of the bottom plate 52 of the cup member which isexposed to high temperatures. This is particularly noticeable when thecombustion type heat source has a longitudinal cavity 6 in the directionfrom the ignition end to the non-ignition end as will be described. Notethat the thickness of the side wall 51 does not include the thickness ofthe flange 53 and the thickness of ribs 54 which will be described.

In FIG. 2, the side wall 51 is positioned substantially perpendicularlyto the bottom plate 52, while the side wall 51 may be tilted to have atapered shape so that the diameter of the opening on the ignition endside is greater than that of the bottom plate 52 as shown in FIG. 1A.

According to the first embodiment, the flange 53 has a shape whichprotrudes from the outer circumference of the opening of the cup member500 to the outside of the cup member 500. As shown in FIG. 2, the flange53 may have a shape which has a greater outer diameter than that of thetubular shape of the holding member 1 and cover the entire outercircumference of the opening of the cup member 500. A plurality of suchflanges 53 may be provided intermittently along the outer circumferenceof the opening of the cup member 500 to protrude outwardly from the cupmember 500. The flange 53 is hooked at the outer circumference of theopening of the holding member 1 as the cup member 500 is inserted in theholding member 1. In this way, the insertion length of the cup member500 to the non-ignition end side of the holding member 1 may beadjusted.

According to the first embodiment, the end of the side wall 51 on theignition end side and the flange 53 are joined, but the end of the sidewall 51 on the ignition end side may extend in the direction toward theignition end side beyond the end of the holding member 1 on the ignitionend side. In this case, the flange 53 is hooked by the end of theholding member 1 on the ignition end side and protrudes outwardly alongthe outer circumference of the side wall 51.

The space in the cup member 500 according to the first embodimentincludes a first space 56 (herein after also as the “first space”) inthe cup member 500 and a second space 55 in the cup member 500. Thefirst space 56 may include projections like ribs 54 which project towardthe center in the cup member on the inner wall side of the side wall 51.In FIG. 2, three ribs 54 are arranged at equal intervals as theprojections in the first space.

According to the first embodiment, the projections arranged in the cupmember 500 are in contact with the end face of the combustion type heatsource 2 on the non-ignition end side, so that the combustion type heatsource 2 is held in the cup member 500. As will be described, thecombustion type heat source 2 and the cup member 500 may be adhered witheach other by a binder.

The ribs 54 project from the inner wall surface of the side wall 51 ofthe cup member 500 toward the inside of the cup member 500 and formsraised parts continuously along the inner wall surface from the bottomplate 52 to the ignition end side. The length (height) of the rib 54 ispreferably smaller than the height of the cup member 500 from the bottomplate 52 to the flange 53. More specifically, the position of the rib 54at the top part on the ignition end side is preferably closer to thenon-ignition end than the flange 53 is. In this way, the combustion typeheat source is hooked by the top parts of the ribs 54 positioned on theignition end side, so that the combustion type heat source is preventedfrom reaching the bottom plate 52 of the cup member 500, and theinsertion depth can be adjusted.

The second space 55 of the cup member 500 corresponds to the space inthe cup member 500 between the opening of the cup member and the topparts of the ribs 54 on the ignition end side, and the first space 56corresponds to the space in the cup member 500 between the top parts ofthe ribs 54 on the ignition end side and the bottom plate 52. Accordingto the first embodiment, the flavor source 3 may be stored in the firstspace 56.

According to the first embodiment, the volume of the first space ispreferably greater than the volume of the second space. The length(height) in a prescribed direction of the first space is preferablygreater than the second space.

In the cup member 500, a plurality of projections like the ribs 54 arepreferably provided along the inner wall surface of the cup member 500,and three, four, or five such projections are more preferably provided.The plurality of ribs 54 are preferably provided at equal intervalsalong the inner wall surface of the cup member 500. As three to fiveprojections are provided at equal intervals along the inner wall surfaceof the cup member 500, the first space 56 may have a sufficient volume,while the combustion type heat source 2 may be held in a stable manner.

Projections in a different shape may be provided instead of those havinga semicircular section in the lateral direction like the ribs 54. Theprojecting length of the rib 54 from the inner wall surface of the firstspace of the cup member 500 may increase or decrease for a certainlength from the bottom plate 52 to the opening. The lateral sectionalshape of the rib 54 may change in the prescribed direction, oralternatively, the distance from the central axis through the center ofthe bottom plate 52 to each rib may be fixed. In these cases, thelateral sectional shape of the rib 54 is kept constant or changed.

The projections are not limited to those like ribs 54 which continuouslyextend along the inner wall surface from the bottom plate 52 to theignition end side, and the projections need only have a sufficient sizeto hook the combustion type heat source. The shape of the projection isnot particularly limited if the projections can be provided to form thecup member 500 as will be described.

According to the first embodiment, when the projections (ribs 54) areprovided at equal intervals along the inner wall surface of the cupmember 500 as shown in FIG. 2, at least some of the ventilation holes 52a are preferably provided in positions closer to the inner wall surfaceof the cup member 500 than the minimum distance lines (the dotted linesin FIG. 2) connecting the peaks of the semicircular sections of adjacentprojections (ribs) are. Here, the peaks of the projections each has amaximum length from the inner wall surface of the cup member 500 asviewed from immediately above the opening of the cup member 500 as theupper side when the sectional shape is not semicircular or changes inthe prescribed direction.

In this way, the ventilation holes are provided up to positions close tothe edge of the bottom plate 52 of the cup member 500, which acceleratesconvection in the cup member 500, which allows the flavor source and airto efficiently come into contact and contributes to improvement in theefficiency of transferring the flavor to the non-ignition end side.

According to the first embodiment, the cup member 50 (the side wall 51,the bottom plate 52, the flange 53, and ribs 54) is made of a materialincluding pulp, a binder, and metal soap.

Conventionally available wood pulp or the like can be used without anyparticular restriction.

The binder may be an organic binder, examples of which may includestarch, carboxyalkyl cellulose and a salt thereof such as carboxyethylcellulose, sodium carboxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC),and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na), cold water-solublepolyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethylated starch, methyl cellulose,hydroxyethyl cellulose, polyacrylate, and a butenediol-vinyl alcoholcopolymer.

When the binder is carboxymethyl cellulose or a salt thereof, its degreeof etherification may be from 0.5 to 1.0, preferably from 0.55 to 1.0,more preferably 0.55 to 0.65. The lower limit value for the degree ofetherification is 0.5, which contributes to improvement in the strengthof the cup member and the fluidity thereof during forming. Meanwhile,the upper limit value for the degree of etherification is 1.0, whichallows the cup member to be dried at high speed during forming.

Use of carboxymethyl cellulose or a salt thereof (such as a sodium salt:CMC-Na) allows a smoking flavor to be maintained well. According to thefirst embodiment, CMC-Na with an etherification degree from 0.55 to 0.65may be used.

The number of carbons in a fatty acid forming the metal soap may beabout from 12 to 20. Specifically, the fatty acid is preferably stearicacid. The non-alkali metal may be calcium, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, orstrontium, preferably calcium.

Specifically, the metal soap may be one or any mixture of calciumstearate, magnesium stearate, zinc stearate, aluminum stearate,strontium stearate, calcium laurate, magnesium laurate, zinc laurate,aluminum laurate, and strontium laurate or a mixture of thereof. Amongthe above, calcium stearate is preferably used. The use of calciumstearate has less effect on the smoking flavor.

As described above, the cup member 500 includes the metal soap as wellas the pulp and the binder.

The metal soap includes a fatty acid chain-based non-polar part and anon-alkali metal part-based polar part, is water-insoluble andwater-repellent, and has a surface active function.

Therefore, it is considered that the cup member 500 according to thefirst embodiment including the metal soap is provided with waterrepellency. This is expected to suppress reduction in the aerosoldelivery amount caused by adsorption of aerosol generated from theflavor source 3 stored in the cup member 500 which will be described andreduction in the rigidity of the cup member 500 caused by the aerosoladsorption.

The metal soap also has the surface active function as described above,and the mechanism of how reduction in the rigidity of the cup member 500caused by the aerosol adsorption may be estimated as follows.

A monovalent cation salt such as metal soap is highly water-soluble.This is because its ionic strength is smaller than that of a bivalentcation salt such as a non-alkali metal.

Stated differently, the metal soap hardly dissociates in water.

Therefore, it is considered that in a water-rich environment (forexample with condensation of the moisture of aerosol), the physicalproperties of the metal soap are unaffected and exhibited.

Meanwhile, as described above, the metal soap serves as a surfactant.

However, it is considered that OH radicals (or ionized O-radials) aredensely provided on the surface of the pulp included in the cup member500, and the cation part of the non-alkali metal is drawn orcoordinate-linked to the vicinity of the pulp surface.

It is considered that when water is externally provided to the cupmember 500 as a result, a long chain fatty acid part which is ahydrophobic group is in contact with the water, so that the cup member500 including the pulp and the metal soap exhibits water repellencyagainst the water.

The content of the pulp in the cup member may be from 30% to 70% byweight, preferably from 50% to 70% by weight. The weight ratio of thepulp and the binder in the cup member 500 may be from 25:75 to 70:30,preferably 25:75 to 45:55.

As the binder and the pulp are included in the cup member 500 in theabove ranges, the strength and surface smoothness of the cup member 500are improved.

The content of the metal soap in the cup member 500 may be 0.3% to 2.0%by weight based on 100% by weight of a mixture of the pulp and thebinder.

The cup member 500 may include an appropriate flavor other than thepulp, the binder, and the metal soap.

According to the present invention, the method for producing the cupmember is not particularly limited and may include injection molding.More specifically, the injection molding includes the steps of filling amolding material including water into the cavity of a mold and heatingthe mold thereby removing the water. Note that the mold may be heatedbefore filling the water and the molding material into the cavity. Whena cup is formed by injection molding according to the embodiment, themolding material may include pulp, a binder, and metal soap. Morespecifically, when the material includes a mixture of 30% to 70% byweight, preferably 50% to 70% by weight of pulp and 20% to 60% byweight, preferably 20% to 40% by weight of a binder (where the weightratio of the pulp and the binder is from 25:75 to 70:30, preferably from25:75 to 45:55), and 0.3% to 2.0% by weight of metal soap based on 100%by weight of the mixture of the pulp and the binder, 30% to 100% byweight of water based on 100% by weight of the total weight of the pulpand the binder is added to the material, and thus the material afteradding water may be obtained. When the cup member is produced byintegral molding, the method may include the step of kneading thematerial, thereby preparing a molding material and filling the moldingmaterial in the cavity of a mold having a mold surface for forming thecavity heated to a temperature from 120° C. to 240° C., preferably from160° C. to 220° C. The water contained in the material may be removed byfilling the material in the cavity of the high temperature mold.According to the embodiment, the molding material includes metal soap.The metal soap contributes to improvement in the water repellency of thecup member as described above and also to improvement in the moldabilityduring molding. More specifically, the presence of the metal soap in themolding material allows better release from the mold to be achieved. Inthis way, defects in the shape of an obtained cup member can be reduced,or the difference between the shape of the mold and the shape of anactually obtained cup can be reduced.

According to the first embodiment, the cup member 500 is made of amaterial including plp, a binder, and metal soap, and therefore the cupmember can have a smaller weight than a conventional metal cup member,and the material cost can be reduced. Using the above-described materialas the material of the cup member, the cup member 500 having a reducedthickness and higher rigidity can be produced.

When the cup member 500 is produced by integral molding, the number ofsteps necessary for producing the flavor inhaler can be reduced, whichcontributes to reduction in the cost.

Instead of integral molding, the cup member may be obtained by adheringparts obtained by molding the material for the cup member in advancewith any of the listed binders (such as carboxymethyl cellulose).

The case will be described specifically with reference to cup member500.

(1) A part corresponding to the bottom plate 52 of the cup member 500and a part corresponding to the side wall 51 having the flange 53 may bemolded separately, and these parts may be assembled and adhered witheach other.

(2) A part having the bottom plate 52 and a part of the side wall 51 ofthe cup member 500 and a part having the remaining part of the side wall51 and the flange 53 may be molded separately, and these parts may beassembled and adhered with each other. For example, two parts divided inthe up-down direction as viewed from the side of the side wall 51 may bemolded, and these parts may be adhered with each other.

(3) The parts of the cup member 500 except for the flange 53 and a partcorresponding to the flange 53 may be molded separately, and these partsmay be assembled and adhered with one another.

(4) Two parts corresponding to the left and right parts of the cupmember 500 as viewed from the opening side (from immediately above) maybe molded separately, and these parts may be assembled and adhered withone another.

(5) The parts of the cup member 500 except for the ribs 54 and partscorresponding to the ribs 54 may be molded separately, and these partsmay be assembled and adhered with each other.

(6) The shapes of the separately molded parts in (1) to (5) may bechanged as appropriate, or the number of the parts may be increased fromtwo to three or more. The above-described parts may be formed byinjection molding as described above.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the combustion type heat source 2 has a pillarshape which extends from the ignition end to the non-ignition end. Thecombustion type heat source 2 has a longitudinal cavity 6. Thelongitudinal cavity 6 extends from the ignition end to the non-ignitionend through the combustion type heat source 2. The longitudinal cavity 6is provided through the combustion type heat source 2, so that a flavorsource is heated by convection heat transfer.

The longitudinal cavity 6 is preferably provided substantially in thecenter of the combustion type heat source 2 in a lateral section.

The combustion type heat source 2 may be provided with a groove (notshown) in communication with the longitudinal cavity 6 at an end face onthe ignition end side. The groove may be exposed to the side surface ofthe combustion type heat source 2. As for the groove, two such groovesmay preferably be formed perpendicularly to each other at the end faceon the ignition end side. The groove may have a width in the range from0.5 mm to 0.8 mm and a depth about in the range from 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm.

The combustion type heat source 2 may have a cylindrical shape or apolygonal cylinder shape.

The combustion type heat source 2 is made of a combustible material. Thecombustible material may be a mixture including a carbon material, anincombustible additive, a binder (either organic or inorganic), andwater. The carbon material may preferably be removed of a volatileimpurity by heating treatment or the like.

According to the first embodiment, the combustion type heat source 2 ispartly fitted into the second space 55 of the cup member 500. At thetime, a binder (such as sodium carboxymethyl cellulose) may be appliedat a part of the inner surface of the side wall 51 of the second space55, for example at least at one point in the vicinity of the opening,preferably at two points, and the combustion type heat source 2 and thecup member 500 may be adhered with each other. When the combustion typeheat source 2 and the cup member 500 are adhered with each other, thecombustion type heat source 2 can be prevented from coming off from thecup member 500. In the cup member made of a metal material, there isless affinity between the binder and the metal, and therefore the cupmember and the combustion type heat source cannot be adhered with eachother easily.

The combustion type heat source 2 preferably includes 30% to 70% byweight, preferably 30% to 45% by weight of a carbon material based on100% by weight of the weight of combustion type heat source 2. When thecontent of the carbon material in the combustion type heat source 2 isas described above, combustion characteristics such as supply of theheat quantity and ash compacting can be improved.

The organic binder which can be used for the combustion type heat sourcemay be a mixture including at least one of CMC-Na (sodium carboxymethylcellulose), CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), alginate, EVA, PVA, PVAC, andsaccharides.

The inorganic binder which can be used for the combustion type heatsource may be a mineral-based binder such as refined bentonite or asilica based binder such as colloidal silica, water glass, and calciumsilicate.

The combustion type heat source includes preferably 1% to 10% of CMC-Na,more preferably 1% to 8% by weight of CMC-Na based on 100% by weight ofthe weight of combustion type heat source 2.

The incombustible additive may be a carbonate or oxide including sodium,potassium, calcium, magnesium, and silicon. The combustion type heatsource 2 may include 40% to 89% by weight of the incombustible additivebased on 100% by weight of the weight of the combustion type heat source2. Furthermore, when calcium carbonate is used as the incombustibleadditive, the combustion type heat source 2 may include 45% to 60% byweight of the incombustible additive.

The combustion type heat source 2 does not have to have a homogeneousmaterial over the entire locations and may include a material with adifferent composition in some locations of the combustion type heatsource.

According to the first embodiment, the length of the combustion typeheat source 2 from the ignition end to the non-ignition end (the lengthin the prescribed direction) may be from 5 mm to 30 mm, preferably 10 mmto 20 mm. The lateral size of the combustion type heat source 2 (thelength in the direction orthogonal to the prescribed direction) may befrom 3 mm to 15 mm. The lateral length of the combustion type heatsource 2 having a cylindrical shape corresponds to the outer diameter ofthe cylinder. When the combustion type heat source does not have acylindrical shape, a maximum value for the length in the lateraldirection is the lateral size.

According to the first embodiment, the length of the combustion typeheat source 2 exposed from the holding member 1 (projection length) maybe from 5 mm to 15 mm, preferably from 5 mm to 10 mm. Meanwhile, thelength of the combustion type heat source 2 inserted in the holdingmember 1 may be from 2 mm to 10, preferably from 1 mm to 4 mm.

According to the first embodiment, the flavor source 3 is adjacent tothe non-ignition end side with respect to the combustion type heatsource 2 in the prescribed direction. The flavor source 3 may include aplurality of flavor pieces or a single flavor source. For example, atobacco material may be used as the flavor source 3. When for example aplurality of flavor sources are made from tobacco materials, the tobaccomaterials may be shredded tobacco generally available for cigarettes orgranular tobacco for nasal snuffing.

The single flavor source may be used as a tobacco sheet such as areconstituted tobacco sheet.

The flavor source 3 may also include an aerosol source such as glycerinand propylene glycol and a desired aromatic in addition to the tobaccomaterial. When a tobacco material is used as the flavor source 3, thegrain size may be from a sieve particle size of 1.4 mm pass to 0.71 mmon. In an alternative case in which a tobacco material is used as theflavor source 3, the grain size may be a sieve particle size from 1.7 mmpass to 1.18 mm on.

The flavor source 3 may contain water, the content of which may be 30%by weight or less, preferably 15% by weight or less, more preferably 10%by weight or less based on the total amount of the flavor source 3.

The water content can prevent the cup member 50 from softening ordeforming when the flavor inhaler is used.

According to the first embodiment, the flavor source 3 is held in thefirst space 56 in the cup member 500.

According to the first embodiment, the filter 5 is provided inside theend of the holding member 1 on the non-ignition end side. According tothe first embodiment, while the filter 5 is provided in the holdingmember 1 so that a gap is present between the cup member 500 and thefilter, the invention is not limited to this arrangement. For example,the filter 5 may be provided in abutment against the cup member 500.

The filter 5 may include a filter member of cellulose acetate, paper, orany of other appropriate known filter materials. The filter 5 mayinclude a volatile flavor component or a capsule having an aromatic as acontent.

In FIG. 1A illustrating the first embodiment, the outer circumference ofthe filter 5 is covered with the holding member 1.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example in which the positional relation betweenthe holding member 1 and the filter 5 are changed from the above. Asshown in FIG. 1B, the filter 5 may be provided in contact with an end ofthe holding member 1 on the non-ignition end side. More specifically,the end of the holding member 1 on the non-ignition end side and the endof the filter 5 on the ignition end side are opposed, and the holdingmember 1 and the filter 5 may be connected by a connection member whichcovers the outer circumferences of the holding member 1 and the filter5. The connection member is not particularly limited, and a member ofpaper, a film, or a thin metal film may be used, while paper ispreferably used. A tipping paper sheet for connecting a rolling papersheet and a filter in a cigarette may preferably be used as such paperfor the connection member.

In this example, the end of the heat conduction member 4 on thenon-ignition end side is positioned so as to be closer to the ignitionend than the end of the connection member 7 on the ignition end side is.Note that the heat conduction member 4 is not essential as describedabove.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 3 is a view of a flavor inhaler according to a second embodiment ofthe invention. The elements are the same as those of the firstembodiment, and the flavor inhaler 101 includes a holding member 1, acup member 501, a combustion type heat source 2, a flavor source 3, aheat conduction member 4, and a filter 5. Note that similarly to thefirst embodiment, the heat conduction member 4 is not essentialaccording to the second embodiment.

The following description concentrates on the cup member 501 which isdifferent from the first embodiment. According to the second embodiment,the cup member 501 does not have a flange protruding outwardly from thecup member 501 from the outer circumference of the opening. The sidewall of the cup member 501 is tilted to form a tapered shape so that thediameter of the opening of the cup member 501 on the ignition end sideis greater than the diameter of the bottom plate.

The same conditions as the first embodiment may be applied as for thesize of the cup member 501, the thicknesses of the side wall and thebottom plate, and their ratios.

The same conditions as the first embodiment may be applied as for theprojections which may be provided on the inner wall surface of the cupmember 501 or ventilation holes which may be provided at the bottomplate 52 of the cup member 501.

The combustion type heat source 2 and the cup member 501 are not inabutment, and there is a gap between the combustion type heat source 2and the cup member 501. Heat from the combustion type heat source 2 istransmitted to the cup member 501 and the flavor source 3 held thereinthrough the heat conduction member 4. The combustion type heat source 2and the heat conduction member 4 are in abutment, so that when the heatposition of the combustion type heat source reaches the vicinity of theheat-conductive material, the combustion heat source can more surely beextinguished. The presence of the gap between the combustion type heatsource 2 and the cup member 501 may suppress excessive heat storage inthe cup member 501.

Similarly to the cup member 500 according to the first embodiment, thecup member 501 according to the second embodiment having at least theside wall 51 and the bottom plate 52 is made of a material includingpulp, a binder, and metal soap. The same conditions as those accordingto the first embodiment may be applied as for the manufacturing methodtherefor, the elements of the cup member, and the composition of thematerials. Similarly to the first embodiment, the cup member 501 may bean integrally molded product or obtained by adhering a plurality ofparts previously obtained by molding.

Similarly to the first embodiment, an adhesive may be provided betweenthe heat conduction member 4 and the cup member 501. The same adhesiveas the adhesive according to the first embodiment may preferably beused, so that the cup member 501 and the heat conduction member 4 can befixed with a reduced effect on the smoking flavor.

According to the second embodiment, the same conditions as thoseaccording to the first embodiment may be applied as for the materialsand positional relations of the holding member 1, the combustion typeheat source 2, the flavor source 3, the heat conduction member 4, andthe filter 5.

According to the second embodiment, the same advantageous effectsobtained for the cup member 500 according to the first embodiment may beprovided.

A part of the features of the first embodiment and a part of thefeatures of the second embodiment may be combined as appropriate toproduce a flavor inhaler.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 4 is a view of a flavor inhaler according to a third embodiment ofthe present invention.

The basic elements are substantially identical to those of the first andsecond embodiments, and the flavor inhaler 102 includes a holding member1, a cup member 502, a combustion type heat source 2, a flavor source 3,a heat conduction member 4, and a filter 5. Note that similarly to thefirst and second embodiments, the heat conduction member 4 is notessential according to the third embodiment.

According to the first and second embodiments, the cup member 500 or 501is inserted in the holding member 1 so that the opening of the cupmember is positioned on the ignition end side, while according to thethird embodiment, the cup member 502 is inserted in the holding member 1so that the opening of the cup member is positioned on non-ignition endside. Note that according to the third embodiment, the combustion typeheat source 2, the flavor source 3, and the cup member 502 maypreviously be aligned and then rolled up by the holding member 1 (may beproduced by rolling).

FIG. 5 is a view of the cup member 502 according to the thirdembodiment. The cup member 502 has the side wall 51 and the bottom plate52. According to the third embodiment, the flavor source 3 is heldbetween the combustion type heat source 2 and the bottom plate 52 of thecup member 502. Alternatively, according to the third embodiment, theflange 53 may extend to protrude to the outside of the cup member 502from the opening of the cup member 502. In this case, the flange 53 maybe in abutment against the end of the holding member 1 on thenon-ignition end side (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 5, the end of the side wall 51 of the cup member 502 onthe ignition end side may extend closer to the ignition end than thebottom plate 52 does. In this manner, the extended side wall 51 form acircumferential wall which surrounds the end face of the cup member 502on the ignition end side.

Alternatively, the end of the side wall of the cup member 502 on theignition end side may extend to the edge of the bottom plate 52 to beconnected to the edge of the bottom plate 52.

According to the third embodiment, the bottom plate 52 of the cup member502 is provided with ventilation holes 52 a. The ventilation holes 52 aare preferably arranged in a distributed manner and as close as possibleto the side wall 51. In this manner, air convention is accelerated inthe space of the cup member 502, which allows the flavor source and airto efficiently come into contact or contributes to improvement in theefficiency of transferring the flavor to the non-ignition end side.

According to the third embodiment, as for the size of the cup member502, the diameter of the bottom plate 52 may be from 3 mm to 10 mm,preferably 4 mm to 8 mm, and the length in the direction from theignition end to the non-ignition end (the height of the cup member 502)may be from 30 mm to 80 mm.

The same conditions as those according to the first embodiment can beapplied as for the thicknesses of the side wall 51 and the bottom plate52 of the cup member 502 and their ratios.

Similarly to the cup member 500 according to the first embodiment, thecup member 502 according to the third embodiment may be made of amaterial including pulp, a binder, and metal soap. The same conditionsas those of the first embodiment may be applied as for the manufacturingmethod therefor, the elements of the cup member, and the composition ofthe materials. Similarly to the first embodiment, the cup member 502 maybe an integrally molded product or obtained by adhering a plurality ofparts previously obtained by molding.

As shown in FIG. 4, according to the third embodiment, the heatconduction member 4 and the cup member 502 are in abutment against eachother.

The end of the side wall 51 of the cup member 502 on the non-ignitionend side is opposed to and in contact with the end face of the filter 5on the ignition end side. In this manner, when the flavor inhaler 102 isused, a flavor generated from a flavor source is passed through thespace in the cup member 502 and the filter 5 and efficiently transferredinto the oral cavity of the user.

According to the third embodiment, the holding member 1 and the filter 5are connected by the connection member 7. The same connection member 7as that of the first embodiment may be used.

The filter 5 may include a capsule 8 having an aromatic as a content.

The side wall of the cup member 502 may be tilted to have a taperedshape so that the diameter of the opening of the cup member 502 on thenon-ignition end side is greater than the diameter of the bottom plate.Note that when the flavor inhaler is produced by rolling as describedabove, it is preferable that the side wall of the cup member 502 is nottilted to have a tapered shape.

According to the third embodiment, the same conditions as thoseaccording to the first embodiment may be applied as for the materialsand the positional relations of the holding member 1, the combustiontype heat source 2, the flavor source 3, the heat conduction member 4,and the filter 5.

A part of the features of the first and second embodiments and a part ofthe features of the third embodiment may be combined as appropriate toproduce a flavor inhaler.

EXAMPLES

While the present invention will be described more specifically by wayof examples, the present invention is not limited to the followingdescription of the examples unless the same departs the spirit and scopeof invention.

Experiment 1

Three integrally molded cup members were produced by the manufacturingprocess including the steps of adding 34.4% by weight of water based on100% by weight of the total weight of pulp, a binder, and metal soap toa material including 64 weight parts of bleached pulp (NBKP Hintonmanufactured by Prince George Pulp & Paper Mills), 34.4 weight parts ofcarboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (F10LC manufactured by Nippon PaperIndustries Co., Ltd.), and 1.6 weight parts of metal soap (calciumstearate), kneading the material after the addition of water to preparea molding material, and filling the molding material into the cavity ofa mold heated so that the temperature of the mold wall surface whichforms the cavity is about 200° C.

One mg of pure water was dropped on the inner wall of each of the cupmembers using a pipet. The time measurement started simultaneously withthe dropping, and the time until the dropped pure water permeated intothe cup member was measured. Whether the cup member was permeated withwater was visually determined. At the time, it was determined on thebasis of whether visual inspection became impossible as droplets droppedon the inner wall of the cup member were absorbed by the cup member.Samples after the cup member was permeated with pure water were eachmeasured for the generation of deformation caused by something. Morespecifically, it was visually determined whether the shape of the cupmember deformed as compared with the shape of the cup member before thepure water was dropped.

As a result of the experiment, it took at least 30 seconds for thedropped pure water to permeate into each of the three cup membersaccording to the reference example.

No deformation was observed in any of the three cup members according tothe reference example between before and after the pure waterpermeation.

As can clearly be understood from the result, the samples hadwater-repellency and were prevented from deforming after absorbing thewater.

Conclusion

When the flavor inhaler including the cup member according to thepresent invention is used, it is expected that the loss of aerosolcaused as aerosol generated from a flavor source is condensed at the cupmember and permeates into the cup wall surface is slight.

It is also expected that the cup member can be prevented from softeningor deforming, which would otherwise be caused as aerosol generated fromthe flavor source adsorbs to the cup member.

Supplement

It is known that a lot of users use a flavor inhaler according to thefollowing patterns.

Inhaling time per one puff: three seconds or less

Puff interval: 30 seconds or less

It is estimated that the retention time of aerosol at the cup member isequal to the above.

The amount of aerosol per one puff generated under the above inhalingconditions is generally several mg or less.

Therefore, the experiment method and the result are based on asimulation of a phenomenon in which aerosol generated from the flavorsource adsorbs to the cup member while the flavor inhaler is used.

Experiment 2

Test Samples

As an example, a flavor inhaler according to the first embodiment wasproduced with the cup member produced according to the above method.

As a comparative example, a flavor inhaler identical to theabove-described sample disclosed in WO 2015/174442 except that astainless steel cup disclosed in WO 2015/174442 was used as the cupmember was produced.

The amounts of aerosol (TPM amounts) delivered from the example and thecomparative example were measured by the following method.

Test Device

A test device disclosed in WO 2015/046420 was used as a measurementdevice. More specifically, the test device includes a suction pump, amass flow controller (MFC), a valve controller, an electromagneticvalve, and a Cambridge filter. The end of each of the samples on thefilter side is connected to the Cambridge filter, the tip end of acarbon heat source was ignited, then puff operation is carried out aprescribed number of times, and the amount of aerosol (TPM amount)collected to the Cambridge filter was measured.

More specifically, the electromagnetic valve was opened/closed by thevalve controller, so that the suction pump and the Cambridge filter wereconnected for three seconds, and then the Cambridge filter was releasedinto the air for 12 seconds. The operation as one puff operation wasrepeated ten times. Note that the flowrate of the mass flow controllerwas set to 1400 mL/min.

TPM Measurement Method

A value obtained by subtracting the weight of Cambridge filter beforecollecting aerosol from the weight of Cambridge filter after collectingthe aerosol was set as an aerosol amount (TPM amount).

Result

As for the aerosol amounts (TPM amounts) measured by the above method,the average aerosol amount (TPM amount) per puff is given in thefollowing.

Example: 1.92 mg/puff

Comparative Example: 2.05 mg/puff

Deformation of the cup member caused by softening was not observed afterthe sample of the example after ten puffing operations.

Conclusion

The aerosol delivery amount according to the example was substantiallyequal to that of the comparative example with the metal cup which wouldnot allow permeation into the wall surface of the cup member. Morespecifically, it was confirmed that reduction in the aerosol deliveryamount associated with the adsorption of aerosol generated from theflavor source while using the flavor inhaler having the cup memberaccording to the invention was slight.

When the sample of the example after the puffing operation was visuallyinspected similarly to the reference example, reduction was observed insoftening and deformation of the cup member which could be caused by theadsorption of aerosol generated from the flavor source to the cupmember.

A cup member for storing a flavor source provided in a conventionalflavor inhaler is made of a material including a metal such as stainlesssteel. In contrast, according to the present invention, a cup membermade of a material including pulp, a binder, and metal soap is used as amember for storing a flavor source. In this way, the flavor inhaler mayhave a reduced weight or may be produced less costly. Furthermore, itcan be expected that the presence of the metal soap in the material ofthe cup member prevents softening or deforming of the cup member whichcould be caused by the adsorption of aerosol from the flavor source tothe cup member.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cup member holding tobacco and/or an aerosolsource for use in a flavor inhaler, comprising: a side wall; and abottom plate, wherein at least the side wall and the bottom plate of thecup member is made of a material comprising pulp, a binder, and metalsoap, and wherein the cup member is an integrally molded product of thematerial comprising the pulp, the binder, and the metal soap.
 2. The cupmember according to claim 1, wherein a number of carbons in a long chainfatty acid forming the metal soap is from 12 to 20, and wherein themetal is selected from calcium, magnesium, zinc, aluminium, andstrontium.
 3. The cup member according to claim 1 wherein the binderincludes carboxymethyl cellulose or sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. 4.The cup member according to claim 1, wherein the metal soap is calciumstearate.
 5. The cup member according to claim 1, wherein the weightratio of the binder and the pulp in the cup member is from 25:75 to70:30.
 6. The cup member according to claim 1, wherein the bottom plateof the cup member has a thickness from 0.3 mm to 1.0 mm.
 7. The cupmember according to claim 1, wherein the bottom plate of the cup memberis provided with ventilation holes.
 8. The cup member according to claim1, wherein the cup member has a flange protruding from an outercircumference of an opening of the cup member to outside of the cupmember.
 9. The cup member according to claim 1, wherein the cup memberhas a plurality of projections provided along an inner wall surface ofthe cup member.
 10. The cup member according to claim 9, wherein theplurality of projections is provided at equal intervals along the innerwall surface of the cup member.
 11. The cup member according to claim 7,wherein the cup member has a plurality of projections provided along aninner wall surface of the cup member, wherein at least some of theventilation holes are provided in a position closer to the inner wallsurface of the cup member than a minimum distance line connectingadjacent projections among the plurality of projections.